John Sessions: Whose Line Is It Anyway? star dies aged 67
Written by News on 03/11/2020
Comedian and actor John Sessions has died at the age of 67, his agent has confirmed.
Alex Irwin of Markham, Froggatt & Irwin said in a statement: “It is with great sadness we can confirm that on Monday 2 November, the actor John Sessions died at his home in south London.”
He went on to say: “He will be hugely missed.”
Sessions was best known for his regular appearances on TV panel shows including Whose Line Is It Anyway? and QI.
Appearing on the inaugural episode of QI back in 2003, the team behind the fact-filled quiz were among the first to pay tribute, Tweeting: “John Sessions was a panellist on QI’s first ever episode: Series A, Episode One, ‘Adam’.
“His incredible wit and encyclopaedic knowledge played a huge part in the show’s history and everyone at QI is deeply saddened to learn of his passing.”
They also shared a later clip from the show, in which Sessions impersonated actor Alan Rickman to perfection.
A gifted impressionist, Sessions also worked on satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image and spoof celebrity mocumentary Stella Street.
Throughout the 80s he practiced his improvisation skills with gigs in live comedy venues and a one-man shows in London’s West End.
A regular panellist on the radio version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, his big TV break came when it transferred to the screen in 1988.
Hosted by Clive Anderson, Sessions appeared alongside performers including Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Tony Slattery, Greg Proops and Mike McShane on the popular comedy series.
He went on to get his own one-man TV show, titled simply John Sessions, in1989, which relied on objects and stories volunteered by the public on the night to come up with improvised live routines.
He went on to showcase his acting talent in a diverse selection of TV shows of including Doctor Who, Skins, Sherlock and Outnumbered.
Although well known for his comedy roles, Sessions was a classically trained actor, and studied alongside Kenneth Branagh at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (RADA) in the late 1970s.
The pair would go on to work together on many occasions throughout their careers including his comedic turn as Irish officer Macmorris in Branagh’s critically acclaimed 1989 adaptation of Henry V.
He also appeared in other Shakespearean movies including a 1999 version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and opposite Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons in the 2004 movie of Merchant Of Venice.
(c) Sky News 2020: John Sessions: Whose Line Is It Anyway? star dies aged 67
